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Welcome to The Brief by Kuro House, your daily dose of sharp marketing insights. Today, we’re diving into some of the most thought-provoking stories from the past 24 hours—covering everything from the enduring power of brand-led growth to why marketing keeps declaring the end of its own tools, and the CMOs set to reshape the industry in 2026. Grab your coffee and let’s get into it.

First up, from Adweek’s Marketing Vanguard podcast, we get a masterclass in brand-led growth from Caryn Wasser, Chief Brand Officer at Little Spoon. Caryn has built Little Spoon from a scrappy two-person team in a windowless WeWork into a $150 million juggernaut—the largest online baby and kids food company in the U.S., now expanding into retail giants like Target. Her philosophy is clear: brand isn’t just a halo effect or a top-of-funnel play, it’s the engine that drives sustainable business growth. She challenges the old-school siloed structure where brand and performance marketing compete for budget, arguing instead for a unified operating system where every marketer owns business impact across the full funnel. Caryn insists on rooting strategy in “consumer truth”—not just chasing quick conversion metrics, but understanding the real people behind the data, like the mom with two kids or the single dad with twins, and solving their core needs. She’s also big on breaking down silos, making sure insights from community managers, paid media, and creative teams are shared and acted on—turning a viral influencer comment into actionable creative, for example. And when it comes to influencer partnerships, Caryn’s approach is refreshingly authentic: celebrity or not, the partner must genuinely use and need the product, or the relationship is a pass. It’s a playbook for anyone who wants to build a brand that lasts, not just spikes.

Switching gears, let’s talk about marketing’s favorite pastime: declaring the death of its own disciplines. Mark Ritson, writing for Adweek, skewers this obsession—highlighting Sir Martin Sorrell’s recent claim that “there is no such thing as PR anymore,” and reminding us that Sorrell made this pronouncement… on a flagship radio show, which is, ironically, a PR masterclass. Ritson calls out the industry’s endless funeral parade: from Scott Galloway’s “era of brand is over” to Gary Vaynerchuk’s eulogies for TV advertising, and even Mastercard’s Raja Rajamannar declaring the whole of advertising “as we know it” dead. Yet, as Ritson points out, nothing in marketing ever truly dies. Radio was supposed to be finished in the 1950s, but it morphed, adapted, and now, with podcasting, is more relevant than ever. Email marketing gets pronounced dead every time a new platform arrives, but it still delivers the best ROI in digital. The lesson? Marketing evolves, contracts, and expands, but it doesn’t go extinct. So as we approach another new year, maybe it’s time to stop writing obituaries and start focusing on what works—and what’s next.

Now, let’s look ahead with Adweek’s feature on “10 CMOs Set To Make Waves in 2026.” The CMO role has never been more dynamic, with 2025 seeing a carousel of arrivals and exits, and 2026 promising even more turbulence and opportunity. Among the standout leaders: Iqbal, Cadillac Formula 1’s first-ever CMO, tasked with translating the brand’s American heritage for a global F1 audience; Jill Kramer, who’s stepping into the chief marketing and communications role at Mastercard, inheriting the legendary “Priceless” platform and the challenge of keeping the brand both relevant and innovative. Then there’s Jon Halvorson at Kenvue, who’s navigating a pharma brand through controversy and acquisition, and Kate Rouch at OpenAI, fresh off a Super Bowl campaign for ChatGPT and now building trust in a world still cautious of AI. Marian Lee at Netflix is doubling down on culture, launching IRL experiences and prepping for a potential Warner Bros Discovery acquisition that could reshape Hollywood. On the CPG front, Todd Kaplan at Kraft Heinz is redefining legacy marketing, while Manu Orssaud at Duolingo is scaling AI-driven growth without losing the quirky brand personality. Peloton’s Megan Imbres is expected to make her creative mark after a period of turnaround, and Tamika Young at Hinge is taking on both marketing and communications as the dating app outpaces Bumble in revenue. These CMOs aren’t just adapting—they’re setting the tone for what leadership looks like when the rules keep changing.

That’s it for today’s Brief. If there’s one thread tying these stories together, it’s that the fundamentals of marketing—brand, storytelling, adaptation—remain as powerful as ever, even as the landscape shifts. Whether you’re building a brand from scratch, shepherding a legacy giant through change, or just trying to keep up with the latest “death” in marketing, remember: the tools may evolve, but the need to connect with real people endures. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you tomorrow with more insights to keep you sharp.